God Can. God Cares.

“Before you marry, you must look them in the eye and say, ‘You are #2.’ If that is not sweet joy to them, then don’t marry them.” -John Piper

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us … The gravest question before us is … ‘what do I conceive God to be like.’ ” —A.W. Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy

“Sometimes people stumble over the vastness (of Space) … it does seem to make us infinitesimally small. But the meaning of this magnitude is not mainly about us. It’s about God … The reason for wasting so much space in a universe to house a speck of humanity is to make a point about our Maker, not us.” — John Piper, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ

“The critical question for our generation, and for every generation, is this:
If you could have heaven,
with no sickness,
with all the friends you ever had on earth,
and all the food you ever liked,
all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed,
all the natural beauties you ever saw,
all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven … … if Christ was not there?” –John Piper

Keller: “Father, my younger brother has been a fool, and now his life is in ruins … I’ll bring him back into the family at my expense … In the story, the younger brother doesn’t get a good older brother, but a Pharisee … but we do not … get a better one. We have him in Jesus.”

Where am I in this story?

Far country, living it up w/o God?

At home near God, but unhappy, wanting to be far away having fun? Being “good” as a deal with God, to get his stuff..

On the way home, wondering what kind of reception I’ll receive?

In Father’s embrace, tears running down my cheek, and His?

At home, feasting on banquet, beginning to forget how lost I was?

Standing alone outside party, grumbling because it’s not in my honor; someone else is getting the attention that I deserve?

Poem:

1 Countless calendars ago
A Father raised two boys;
The Younger bolted far away,
The Older made no noise.2 Son One ignored his Father’s heart,
While seizing on his wealth;
Son Two, he bided long his time
Awaiting ol’ Dad’s death.

3 Neither really wanted Dad –
They just wanted his stuff;
Yet patiently, he loved his sons,
Cease-fire was not enough.4 The Youngest son came crawling back,
A broken man, for sure;
On him was poured extravagance
Like perfume down a sewer.

5 Welcomed home, his Daddy ran
With ring and robe and shoes;
A party planned to celebrate
The son he wouldn’t lose.

8 Insulted by his son’s affront
The father kept his poise
And asked his eldest to come in,
“Forgive – and taste my joy.”

9 The do-good son refused to budge
Now why should he forgive?
He’d let his brother rot before
Instead of seeking him.10 Should not the oldest brother been
The one to track and comb,
Every nook and every cranny
Till he brought his sibling home?

11 A Better Older Brother
Would have restrained the Younger man,
Would have locked the front door tightly
Before he packed his bags and ran.

12 A Better Older Brother
Would not turn his own heart numb,
And that’s the news this Christmas:
A Better Brother’s come.13 His name is Jesus, and He spent
His life to bring us home,
Paid infinite expense to make
A renegade his own.

14 In Christmas we discover
Jesus is the Better Son
He has chased us down our alleys
Wouldn’t quit until He’d won.

15 He is our Holy Hero
Who says he’s not ashamed
To call us his own brothers *
To give us His last name.

“I’ll tell you why I left. Because stateside young people have every opportunity to … understand the Word of God in their own language, and these Indians have no opportunity whatsoever. I have had to make a cross of two logs, and lie down on it, to show the Indians what it means to crucify a man. When there is that much ignorance over here and so much knowledge and opportunity over there, I have no question in my mind why God sent me here. Those whimpering stateside young people will wake up on the Day of Judgment condemned to worse fates than these demon-fearing Indians, because having a Bible, they were bored with it – while these never heard of such a thing as writing.” — Jim Elliot

“By this the elect of God are known: that they love the Word of God.”—C.H. Spurgeon

“Their world is coming unglued and Christianity doesn’t seem up to the challenge.”

“Being salt and light demands 2 things: we practice purity in the midst of a fallen world and yet we live in proximity to this fallen world. If you don’t hold up both truths in tension, you invariably become useless and separated from the world God loves. For example, if you only practice purity apart from proximity to the culture, you inevitably become pietistic, separatist, and conceited. If you live in close proximity to the culture without also living in a holy manner, you become indistinguishable from fallen culture and useless in God’s kingdom.” —Mike Metzger

“Atheism (Christianity) has been especially advanced through the loving service rendered to strangers, and through their care for the burial of the dead… that the ‘godless Galileans’ care not only for their own poor but for ours as well…”

“If we do not savor Jesus, we haven’t seen Him for who He is. If we don’t prize Him above all things, we have not apprehended His true worth.” John Piper Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ

“Once more, he who really has this high estimate of Jesus will think much of him, and as the thoughts are sure to run over at the mouth, he will talk much of him. Do we? If Jesus is precious to you, you will not be able to keep your good news to yourself; you will be whispering it into your child’s ear; you will be telling it to your husband; you will be earnestly imparting it to your friend; Without the charms of eloquence you will be more than eloquent; your heart will speak, and your eyes will flash as you talk of His sweet love.

Every Christian here is either a missionary or an impostor. Recollect that. You either try to spread abroad the kingdom of Christ, or else you do not love Him at all. It cannot be that there is a high appreciation of Jesus and a totally silent tongue about Him … Be wise in your generation, and speak of Him in fitting ways and at fitting times, and so in every place proclaim the fact that Jesus is most precious to your soul.” C. H. Spurgeon

“I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next Spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean, to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of Him who left His heavenly home, and died for her and for you? for the sake of perishing, immortal souls? for the sake of Zion and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with the crown of righteousness, brightened with the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Savior from lost persons saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?” — A. Judson

“Before you marry, you must look them in the eye and say, ‘You are #2.’ If that is not sweet joy to them, then don’t marry them.” -John Piper

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us … The gravest question before us is … ‘what do I conceive God to be like.’ ” —A.W. Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy

“Sometimes people stumble over the vastness (of Space) … it does seem to make us infinitesimally small. But the meaning of this magnitude is not mainly about us. It’s about God … The reason for wasting so much space in a universe to house a speck of humanity is to make a point about our Maker, not us.” — John Piper, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ

“The critical question for our generation, and for every generation, is this:
If you could have heaven,
with no sickness,
with all the friends you ever had on earth,
and all the food you ever liked,
all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed,
all the natural beauties you ever saw,
all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven … … if Christ was not there?” –John Piper

Keller: “Father, my younger brother has been a fool, and now his life is in ruins … I’ll bring him back into the family at my expense … In the story, the younger brother doesn’t get a good older brother, but a Pharisee … but we do not … get a better one. We have him in Jesus.”

Where am I in this story?

Far country, living it up w/o God?

At home near God, but unhappy, wanting to be far away having fun? Being “good” as a deal with God, to get his stuff..

On the way home, wondering what kind of reception I’ll receive?

In Father’s embrace, tears running down my cheek, and His?

At home, feasting on banquet, beginning to forget how lost I was?

Standing alone outside party, grumbling because it’s not in my honor; someone else is getting the attention that I deserve?

Poem:

1 Countless calendars ago
A Father raised two boys;
The Younger bolted far away,
The Older made no noise.2 Son One ignored his Father’s heart,
While seizing on his wealth;
Son Two, he bided long his time
Awaiting ol’ Dad’s death.

3 Neither really wanted Dad –
They just wanted his stuff;
Yet patiently, he loved his sons,
Cease-fire was not enough.4 The Youngest son came crawling back,
A broken man, for sure;
On him was poured extravagance
Like perfume down a sewer.

5 Welcomed home, his Daddy ran
With ring and robe and shoes;
A party planned to celebrate
The son he wouldn’t lose.

8 Insulted by his son’s affront
The father kept his poise
And asked his eldest to come in,
“Forgive – and taste my joy.”

9 The do-good son refused to budge
Now why should he forgive?
He’d let his brother rot before
Instead of seeking him.10 Should not the oldest brother been
The one to track and comb,
Every nook and every cranny
Till he brought his sibling home?

11 A Better Older Brother
Would have restrained the Younger man,
Would have locked the front door tightly
Before he packed his bags and ran.

12 A Better Older Brother
Would not turn his own heart numb,
And that’s the news this Christmas:
A Better Brother’s come.13 His name is Jesus, and He spent
His life to bring us home,
Paid infinite expense to make
A renegade his own.

14 In Christmas we discover
Jesus is the Better Son
He has chased us down our alleys
Wouldn’t quit until He’d won.

15 He is our Holy Hero
Who says he’s not ashamed
To call us his own brothers *
To give us His last name.

Talk 3:

“I’ll tell you why I left. Because stateside young people have every opportunity to … understand the Word of God in their own language, and these Indians have no opportunity whatsoever. I have had to make a cross of two logs, and lie down on it, to show the Indians what it means to crucify a man. When there is that much ignorance over here and so much knowledge and opportunity over there, I have no question in my mind why God sent me here. Those whimpering stateside young people will wake up on the Day of Judgment condemned to worse fates than these demon-fearing Indians, because having a Bible, they were bored with it – while these never heard of such a thing as writing.” — Jim Elliot

“By this the elect of God are known: that they love the Word of God.”—C.H. Spurgeon

“Their world is coming unglued and Christianity doesn’t seem up to the challenge.”

“Being salt and light demands 2 things: we practice purity in the midst of a fallen world and yet we live in proximity to this fallen world. If you don’t hold up both truths in tension, you invariably become useless and separated from the world God loves. For example, if you only practice purity apart from proximity to the culture, you inevitably become pietistic, separatist, and conceited. If you live in close proximity to the culture without also living in a holy manner, you become indistinguishable from fallen culture and useless in God’s kingdom.” —Mike Metzger

“Atheism (Christianity) has been especially advanced through the loving service rendered to strangers, and through their care for the burial of the dead… that the ‘godless Galileans’ care not only for their own poor but for ours as well…”

“If we do not savor Jesus, we haven’t seen Him for who He is. If we don’t prize Him above all things, we have not apprehended His true worth.” John Piper Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ

“Once more, he who really has this high estimate of Jesus will think much of him, and as the thoughts are sure to run over at the mouth, he will talk much of him. Do we? If Jesus is precious to you, you will not be able to keep your good news to yourself; you will be whispering it into your child’s ear; you will be telling it to your husband; you will be earnestly imparting it to your friend; Without the charms of eloquence you will be more than eloquent; your heart will speak, and your eyes will flash as you talk of His sweet love.

Every Christian here is either a missionary or an impostor. Recollect that. You either try to spread abroad the kingdom of Christ, or else you do not love Him at all. It cannot be that there is a high appreciation of Jesus and a totally silent tongue about Him … Be wise in your generation, and speak of Him in fitting ways and at fitting times, and so in every place proclaim the fact that Jesus is most precious to your soul.” C. H. Spurgeon

“I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next Spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean, to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of Him who left His heavenly home, and died for her and for you? for the sake of perishing, immortal souls? for the sake of Zion and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with the crown of righteousness, brightened with the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Savior from lost persons saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?” — A. Judson

Talk 1: Luke 5:1-11

What is one ‘impossible situation’ you’re facing, and what would it look like to have Faith in God in the middle of that situation? Can you think of any verses from Scripture which could be a promise for you to claim?

Do you think that God Cares about your current situation?What in the Bible would convince you?

Talk 2: Luke 15

Who do you identify with most —Younger Brother, Older Brother, Father? Why?

If Jesus is the “Better Older Brother” who sought and brought us home at great personal expense, how would rehearsing that reality affect you practically?(your fears? anger? etc)

What does “prodigal” mean to you now? If you retitled the parable,what would you call it?

Has anyone ever treated you like the Father treats his sons?What might that feel like?

Talk 3: Mark 1:40-45

Who are the “lepers” on campus that you encounter or avoid?Why do you avoid them?

On a scale of 1-10, rate your level of compassion (“to suffer with”) for them.

Do you spend more energy on purity (from)or proximity (toward) fellow students? Why?

If we naturally talk about what we love the most, what does this say re: your love for Jesus?If not good, what is the solution?

Finally:

What specific Action or Risk must I take to experience that “God Can” and that “God Cares”?

Since Jesus “rewrote the sign” for me, how can I respond to His love and help “rewrite the sign” for others back on campus? Who can I talk with?

“Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.” –Rick Warren

“To believe in Jesus means that you believe what the Bible says about Him and you believe what the Bible says about you. You’ve stopped believing in what you say about you…

You need to listen carefully to the cultural narrative. There’s a deeper cultural narrative that’s being promulgated in our world today. And that narrative sounds something like this:

‘What you need to do is look deep inside yourself, figure out who you are and be that person, and don’t let anybody –including the world or government or your family or God tell you that you can’t be who you are.’ That is the narrative in our culture. The heroes of our day are the people who don’t let anything stand in their way … the people who we respect and cheer and clap for and esteem are those who figure out who they are, and then they just tell the world who they really are, regardless of the categories which they are talking about.

Over the weekend you probably have heard about Bruce Jenner. Just watch what people are saying and the applause that’s happening … and look at the narrative, look at the theology that is coming out in that. ‘Figure out who you are, declare it to the world, you’re a hero because after all, the end game is to figure out who you are, and don’t let anyone stop you from being that person’

… And yet here comes the Bible that says, “Wait a minute… Your narrative inside of you is broken. And the way you become a follower of Jesus and where true hope is found is not by believing in yourself and believing in the inner you, but instead believing in what God says about you. That truth is not found inside of you but it is found outside of you in the person and work of Jesus. Real hope comes from not believing in yourself, but believing in Jesus. Repentance involves looking away from yourself and instead putting your trust in the work of Another.” Friends, this is how Christianity is becoming so countercultural… it’s not just that Biblical morals are no longer accepted, but it is that the narrative under which everything is based is fundamentally different. [Christianity says] that true success and true truth is not found within us but it’s found outside of us… it’s in the person and work of Jesus… and that if it’s up to me, I’ll never come to the right conclusions, and I won’t be able to merit God’s affection, because I’m fundamentally broken, I’m a sinner at my core, I’m utterly, totally depraved, I need somebody else to Rescue me, I need truth outside of myself, I need a Redeemer who can give me His righteousness, and that’s how wholeness actually happens.” –Mark Vroegop

I had the opportunity of speaking yesterday at Covenant Presbyterian Church on Jeremiah 23:5-6. The passage speaks about the coming Messiah Jesus, the “Righteous Branch” who will reign as King and be called by the name “The LORD our Righteousness.” It was such a delight to my heart to speak about Jesus from this OT passage.

Anyway, some have requested copies of 2 of the slides I used. They are here: Jeremiah 23 The Righteous Branch One slide shows the OT references to Jesus being the branch/shoot/roots from David/Jesse. The second slide shows the side-by-side reality that the Messiah is both God and Man at the same time (as even the OT predicted, with Zechariah 6:12 calling him a “Man” and Jeremiah 23:6 calling him “God” by using Hebrew YHWH/”LORD”). The dual natures of Jesus the Messiah! Awesome. I love it.

Jesus, my righteousness! Being forgiven of sin is awesome, and it means that God says to me, “Dan, you are free from liability; you may go.” But even further, Jesus’ righteousness has now been credited to my account, and God essentially says, “Dan, all the awards and honors that Jesus deserves now hang around your neck like a congressional Medal of Honor, and all the universe salutes! Dan, you may come (into my presence)!” That is way more than forgiveness! (Thoughts borrowed from Tim Keller, but owned by me).

Have a great day with the Righteous Branch! He came. He will come again. Come quickly Lord Jesus.

I think enough time has passed for me to comment on the death of Steve Jobs.

First, let me say (along with everyone else): I love the products that Steve Jobs helped create. I’m typing this on my MacBook Pro, and I love my new iPhone 4s. But I could easily live without either. In fact, I would gladly do so, for the chance to have talked to Steve Jobs about Jesus.

When Jobs died last month, I noticed the accolades and well-wishes for him. People felt close to Jobs via his products, and they felt pain at his death … though they didn’t really know him. (Such are the strange consequences of worshipping “celebrities” in our culture today.)

However, what I didn’t observe was far more telling, especially among those who claim that Jesus is essential to real Life. What I didn’t see was any reflection on this question: “what’s next for Steve Jobs?” The elephant in the room, which no Christians seemed willing to talk about, was that Steve Jobs had no saving interest in Jesus.

So, what do we do with that? One thing is sure: if we do nothing, if we draw no conclusions, we tacitly admit that whatever our culture imagines to be true about afterlife is a better explanation than what God has declared to be true about afterlife in His Word, the Bible. That last sentence was long, but important. Re-read it.

What I mean is this — Jesus said, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?“ (Mark 8:36-37) When Jesus said that, He meant it. People die every day, including famous ones like Steve Jobs. Famous people who make cool tech products are not immune from Jesus’ words. Steve Jobs wasted his life, because Steve Jobs ignored Jesus. Squandered, wasted, forfeited. What no one is saying, because it seems harsh and judgmental and inappropriate, is that Steve Jobs utterly wasted his life and will experience the consequences of that forever.

Not a pleasant blog post, eh? No, it’s not. But is the goal Pleasantness, or following Jesus? I’m afraid my 21st Century Christian culture has chosen Pleasantness above Jesus. “Don’t say anything at all that will rock the boat, that will appear intolerant” …. even if you end up saying something that is untrue and anti-Jesus.

The Bible says that God takes no delight in people’s death, not even in the death of the wicked. But death is in each of our futures. My question: what are you going to do with Jesus? He is the fork in the road. You can’t stay neutral about him. It’s either Left or Right. Steve Jobs, it seems, remained neutral … which is to say, he chose poorly.